


I'll Take Care of You

by songofthe52hertzwhale



Category: Dalton Academy Series
Genre: Julian Larson and his Five Boyfriends, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 14:16:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15026462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofthe52hertzwhale/pseuds/songofthe52hertzwhale
Summary: Clark's a really great boyfriend. Even when he can't be around, he finds ways to take care of Julian.





	I'll Take Care of You

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Joey, mostly

Julian’s proud of Clark, he really is.

He knows how huge this movie is for his boyfriend, knows how excited Clark had been when he got cast. The schedule works out perfectly, his filming falling just after Haven’s world tour and just before they’re slated to start working on their new album. It’s a huge opportunity, an actual _serious_ movie role that will let Clark show the full spectrum of his talent.

Still, though, having Clark shooting on location in _Morocco_ while Julian’s stuck working on set in Los Angeles kind of fucking sucks.

He tries not to mope too much. Clark’s a fantastic boyfriend, always keeping their Skype dates and taking time out of his day to send Julian cute little messages. But it’s still not the same as having him _right there_ — Julian misses the kisses, the cuddles, the sex. Of course, no matter how much he tries to hide it, Clark can always tell when something’s upsetting him.

“Hey,” he says, at the end of one of their calls, “You’re doing okay, right?”

His face is marked with concern, his eyebrows knit together as he looks through his camera.

“I’m fine,” Julian says, giving him his best smile, “I like not having to play a teenager for once, you know? It feels like I’m finally being taken seriously.”

“I didn’t mean with the movie,” Clark says patiently, “I mean…us. You’re doing that thing where you’re getting kind of distant.”

Julian’s smile fades, “I’m not…I just miss you, is all.”

Clark frowns, and Julian hurriedly continues.

“It’s not…we’re _fine_ , still. Obviously we’re fine. I just wish we were in the same place again, you know? I mean, I went from sleeping in your bed every night to waking up alone and hoping we can squeeze in a phone call before one of us has to be on set.”

“I know what you mean,” Clark says, “At least you have your mom?”

“She’s in Hawaii. You know that thing she wrapped in April? Producer asked for re-shoots.”

“Wait, hang on,” Clark leans forward, crossing his arms on the table in front of him, “You’re alone?”

“I have Sonic?” Julian offers, “Sneakers. I’m not a total hermit, I hang out with people. I have friends.”

Clark hums thoughtfully, and Julian watches as he picks up his phone and types something out.

“Listen, J, I have to go. But I have an idea to make things better. You trust me, right?”

“Yes…”

“Good,” Clark smiles, blowing him a quick kiss, “I’ll talk to you tonight.”

He ends the chat, and Julian blinks at his now-blank screen. He’s a little confused about what Clark had meant, but seeing as his _last_ idea had involved chocolate sauce in the bedroom, he assumes it can’t be _too_ bad.

Still, when _Sinclair Langdon_ shows up on his doorstep that night with a bouquet of violets and a suit jacket hanging off his shoulders, Julian thinks it must be a joke.

“Come on,” he says with a wide grin, “I’m taking you on a date. You like sushi, right?”

Julian blinks, “You _do_ remember I’m in a relationship with Clark, right? A very happy, monogamous relationship.”

“Clark asked me to do this. I mean, technically he asked Mikey, but he’s getting over a cold right now so I was second choice.”

“He asked you to take me on a _date_?” Julian raises an eyebrow, “You know you don’t actually have to do that, right? I can lie to him if you want.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sinclair pushes the flowers into his hands, grinning when Julian leans down to sniff at them, “Now come on, I have reservations.”

“Reser—yeah. Yeah, okay, let me just grab a jacket…”

“No need,” Sinny says brightly, holding another jacket in the air, “It’s Clark’s. Still kinda smells like him. Mostly because I sprayed it with his cologne.”

He helps Julian slip it on, laughs a little at the way it hangs off his shoulders.

“A little big,” he says, helping Julian roll up the sleeves, “If anyone takes a photo of you tonight they’ll definitely know who it belongs to.”

“You mean who _I_ belong to, don’t you?”

Sinclair just grins and ushers Julian out to his car, full-on _flirts_ with him on the way to the restaurant. It’s a nice place, one Julian’s actually been meaning to try. It’s also unbelievably expensive, and Julian shoots Sinclair a look over the menu.

“I know you guys are rich, but are you really gonna shell out this much on a date with someone else’s boyfriend?”

“Clark already Venmo’d me enough money for you to order one of everything on the menu. I’m under very strict orders to let you get anything you want, and take you for dessert after if you’re still hungry.”

“I can’t believe he asked you to do this.”

“Oh, he was _very_ insistent.”

Julian hesitates, “He doesn’t…he’s not worried I’ll cheat on him or something, is he? Because I know everyone tries to spread the idea that I have a _reputation_ , but I wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh god no, it’s not like that at all,” Sinclair insists, “Actually I think…I think he’s more worried that he’s not being a good boyfriend. We tried to tell him it’s not his fault you guys have conflicting filming schedules, but still.”

“He’s a _great_ boyfriend. You know one time we were Skyping and I told him I was craving enchiladas, and then half an hour later someone knocked on my door with enchiladas?” Julian grins at the memory, “I don’t even know how he did it, we were talking the whole time.”

Sinclair smiles, “Yeah. He likes doing nice things for people he cares about.”

“Like paying his friends to take me on dates so I don’t get lonely?”

“Oh please, it’s not like it’s much of a hardship. I can cross _date with Julian Larson_ off my bucket list.”

He shoots Julian a wink, then proceeds to _actually_ order one of everything on the menu. Between the two of them, they manage to make a sizable dent in the food, though they’re both way too full to even entertain the thought of dessert.

“I’ve never eaten that much fish in one sitting,” he says as he walks Julian to his door after, “Seriously, I feel like I just swallowed half the ocean.”

Julian laughs, “Well it was delicious. Thank you for this date that you were forced to take me on.”

He pulls his keys from his pocket and unlocks his front door. Sinclair clears his throat, places a gentle hand on Julian’s shoulder and turns him back around.

“This is from Clark, too,” he says, before leaning in and pressing a gentle kiss to Julian’s lips. It takes him by surprise, at first, but it’s _nice_ , and when Sinclair pulls back he’s smiling.

“Go call your boyfriend,” he says, “You better tell him I took you on the best damn date of your _life_.”

He skips away, heads back to his car before Julian can say anything.

Clark must be waiting for Julian’s call, because his face fills the screen just seconds after Julian clicks on his name.

“Hey, baby,” he says, smiling, “Have a fun night?”

“I can’t believe you convinced your friends to take me on a date.”

“I don’t like the thought of you being lonely. I figure if I have them stand in for me, it’ll almost feel the same.”

“Well what about you?” Julian asks, “I don’t exactly know anyone in Morocco to take you out on dates.”

“I don’t have _time_ ,” Clark admits, “We’re doing fourteen hour days right now. By the time I get back to the hotel all I wanna do is talk to you and then pass out.”

“Still. It’s not fair that you’re arranging all this stuff for me and I can’t do it for you.”

“I like you being happy, alright? Let me do this.”

“…did you tell him to kiss me, too? Because he did.”

“I might’ve,” Clark admits, “You’re just…you deserve to be kissed every day. Even when I can’t be there.”

“I can deal with long-distance, you know. Yeah, it’s sad, but I don’t need you to do all this.”

“I’m telling you, I _want_ to do this. Let me take care of you, okay?”

Julian smiles, ducks his head down a little, “You always have.”

“And I always will.”

The next time, it’s not so much of a surprise.

He should’ve expected it, the second he sent Clark that text about being stressed and hungry on set. So when he walks into his trailer and finds Corey Pearson sitting on his sofa, a bag of take-out in his hand, he just laughs.

“How did you even get here that fast? I talked to him an _hour_ ago.”

Corey grins, “Actually, he just group-texted to see who was closest. I had a dentist appointment three blocks away, and he called the restaurant so the food was ready when I got there.”

Julian smiles, takes the bag and pulls out a Tupperware of green curry.

“He’s _great,_ isn’t he?”

“Oh, that’s not all,” Corey says, smirking, “I’ve also been instructed to shower you in admiration while you eat.”

“You absolutely do not have to do that.”

“I do, actually. Here we go.”

He clears his throat, pulls up a list on his phone and starts reading off compliments dictated by Clark.

Julian tries not to laugh too much — he only has about a half hour to eat his lunch, and the food Corey brought him is absolutely delicious. But the messages Clark has him reading range from sweet to absolutely absurd, and Julian nearly chokes on a piece of chicken at _I’d destroy every chairs in the world so you have no choice but to sit that ass on my face._

“He did _not_ say that.”

“Nah,” Corey laughs, shoves his phone back in his pocket, “That one was me. Figured he needed at least one sex-related one, and I’ve seen the way he stares at your ass. Can’t say I blame him.”

Julian feels his face heating up and shoves the last bite of curry in his mouth to hide his mild embarrassment. Thankfully, Corey checks his watch and stands, gathering Julian’s trash for him.

“I gotta get going,” he says, “And I’m sure you have some very important scene to get to. But uh…this is from Clark too, alright?”

He bends down, tilts Julian’s chin up with one finger and presses a soft kiss to his lips.

Julian really should have expected it, after Sinny, but the kiss still comes as a bit of a surprise. Corey pulls away, presses another quick kiss to Julian’s cheek.

“Have a great day, babe,” he says cheerfully, before bouncing out of Julian’s trailer.

Julian can’t help but laugh. He whips out his phone, sends a quick text to Clark — _You’re so damn cheesy, you know that? <3 —_ and heads back to set, feeling considerably less stressed.

When Julian comes down with a stomach bug a few weeks into their separation, Clark nearly books himself a plane ticket home.

“No,” Julian says wearily, just barely managing the strength to hold his phone up, “I’m okay, really. I’m just gonna sleep a lot. It’ll get better.”

“You shouldn’t be alone when you’re sick,” Clark says, frowning when Julian whimpers a little and holds onto his stomach, “I’m sure I can get off for a couple days…”

“And then you’ll have to extend filming to make up for it. Just finish as fast as you can, alright? I want you _home_.”

“…yeah. Okay. But let me know if it gets worse, alright?”

“It’s just a stomachache. I’m fine. Promise.”

He knows Clark isn’t really happy with things, but he’s way too tired to argue further. The moment they end the call, Julian rolls onto his side and heaves into the trash can he’d dragged to the side of his bed. He _should_ clean up, but he’s so goddamned tired he can’t work up the energy. Instead, he yanks the blankets up to his chin and drift off to sleep.

When he wakes a few hours later, there’s something soft and cool laying across his forehead and a hand carding through his hair. He hears a soft voice half-humming, half-singing, and cracks his eyes open to see Raven Woods sitting beside his bed.

“Hey, buddy,” Raven smiles when he sees Julian awake, “You have a pretty crazy high fever, you know that?”

“Jus’ a cold,” Julian mumbles, “‘m fine.”

“You most definitely have the flu,” Raven says, “Mikey’s out getting you medicine right now.”

“You’re gonna get sick too.”

“Nah, we all got flu shots last month. Which you can get for _free_ , by the way.”

“Don’ like needles.”

“Of course you don’t,” Raven chuckles a little and picks up a juice box from the nightstand, “Drink some of this for me?”

Julian tries to tilt his head up, lets Raven push the straw between his lips and takes a small sip. Swallowing hurt a little, and he knows he’s barely managed to drink anything when he has to pull away. Raven doesn’t fight him though, instead smiles encouragingly and squeezes Julian’s arm.

“We’ll try more later, alright? Fluids are supposed to be good for you.”

Julian leans back against the pillows, blinks up at him blearily.

“I threw up,” he says, “Lots.”

“Yeah, I know. We cleaned it up. It was kinda gross. You should _definitely_ be chewing your food more. But Mikey’s getting you some anti-nausea medicine so hopefully that’ll help.”

“So nice,” Julian mumbles, leaning into Raven’s hand, “You guys are so _nice_.”

“You scared the crap out of Clarkie, you know. He said you didn’t quite manage to hang up before you started puking.”

Julian groans, “Fuck, he prob’ly thinks I’m _gross_.”

“Nah. We had to threaten to take a baseball bat to his car to stop him from flying out here. He wanted us to bring you chicken soup and everything, but I figured we’ll start with juice and see how it goes.”

He resumes his soft singing, continues to stroke Julian’s hair. Eventually, Mikey returns with a selection of medicine, and Julian swallows it without too much complaint. He drifts in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, always awakening with one of them by his side.

He feels a little bad, that they’re both spending so much time by his bedside. They try the soup on day two. Mikey and Raven cheer a little when Julian manages a few bites, and it almost make him feel better.

Clark calls more than once, but Julian only manages a couple sentences before he has to pass his phone off to one of the other guys.

His fever finally breaks on day three. Raven grins when he reads off the thermometer, and Mikey finally loses the worried look he’s been sporting since they first walked into his room. Julian tries to get them to go back home, but they refuse.

“Not until you feel like yourself again,” Mikey says, “Also, your tv’s bigger than ours.”

“Besides,” Raven adds, “Clark’s been requesting hourly updates.”

“Oh god,” Julian groans, “It’s fine, really. I still feel gross, but I’ll be okay.”

“Absolutely not. We’re staying, and you’re gonna deal with it.”

In the end, it takes a full week before they declare him healthy enough to be alone. He’s still feeling a little under the weather — mostly just a sore throat and a lingering cough — but he can feed himself finally, and Clark evaluates him over FaceTime before declaring that yes, they’re allowed to leave.

“Flu shot next year, alright?” Mikey says sternly, even as he presses a kiss to Julian’s cheek.

“Keep resting, too,” Raven adds, “Lots of water. Soup. Mikey left a few containers of it in your fridge.”

“And _call us_ if you need anything.”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Julian insists, “Really. Thank you.”

“Any time,” Raven says, “In case you haven’t noticed, we kind of have a _if you date one of us you date all of us_ type deal.”

“I did notice, actually. You know you’re the only one who hasn’t tried to kiss me yet?”

“Am I?” Raven grins a little and leans down, kisses Julian right on the lips, “Guess you’re five for five, now.”

“Oh my god, get out of my house.”

“Bye, beautiful!”

Julian calls Clark the moment he hears his front door shut.

“I can’t _believe_ you made them nurse me back to health,” he says, the moment Clark’s face fills his screen, “I felt _awful_. Raven was bored out of his mind, I could tell.”

“He was fine,” Clark says, softly, “How are you feeling?”

“Still kinda icky. Better, though.”

“Mikey’s soup works wonders, doesn’t it?”

“They didn’t have to do that.”

“I would’ve, if I were there. Since I wasn’t, I needed to find someone who could.”

“You’re already the best boyfriend I’ve ever had,” Julian says, “You don’t need to go through all this work to prove it.”’

“I’m not trying to prove anything. I just want to take care of you.”

Julian feels a soft smile creep across his face, “Clark…”

“I mean it. I want you to be happy. I want you to feel cared for. I want—”

“I love you.”

Clark freezes on-screen, mouth hanging slightly open.

“I do,” Julian continues, “I…I love you, Clark.”

“Wow,” Clark breathes, looking a little surprised, “I…wow. I really wish you hadn’t said that for the first time when we’re ten thousand miles apart.”

“Sorry,” Julian ducks his head a little, tries not to show how much it hurts that Clark hasn’t said it back, “I…sorry. You can just pretend I didn’t. I’m still sick, you know. Delusional.”

“…right,” Clark shoots him a small smile, “Well get some rest, then. I promise the guys won’t bother you again.”

“Yeah. I will. Thanks, for sending them.”

“Anytime, J.”

Julian’s not upset.

Really, he isn’t.

They haven’t used the L-word yet. It’s _weird_ , to use it for the first time over video chat. It wouldn’t be fair, to expect Clark to return the sentiment when they can’t have a face-to-face conversation about it.

Still, he can’t help but feel just the tiniest bit sad. He’d thought they were more or less on the same page — Clark’s jumped through all kinds of hoops to make sure Julian was taken care of while he’s gone, after all. Julian _knows_ Clark likes him, a lot. It’s _fine_ , that he’s not quite at the same level as Julian is. Really.

Clark doesn’t ease up, either.

The Haven boys stop by on a near-daily basis, bringing Julian flowers and food and showering him in compliments and soft kisses. He appreciates it, really.

But it doesn’t stop him from missing Clark.

Especially when awards season rolls around, and he’s stuck walking the red carpet alone. It shouldn’t feel so empty — he’s done it before, showed up dateless or with his mother. Still, he _wants_ Clark there, wants his boyfriends’ arm around his waist, wants pictures of them standing together and beaming into the camera.

He deals.

The People’s Choice Awards. The Golden Globes. The SAG Awards. He arrives alone each time, smiles for the cameras and gives the reporters the soundbites they’re looking for.

As the Academy Awards grow closer, Clark starts behaving oddly. He insists on having Reeddesign Julian’s suit. Tries to figure out what time Julian plans on leaving his house. Asks Julian multiple times if he’s bringing a date.

Julian _knows_ one of the guys is going to show up at his door the night of the show. He tries to pick up on Clark’s hints, plays a game with himself to guess which boy Clark’s assigned to be his date for the evening.

But then the night rolls around, and Julian opens his door to find Corey, Sinclair, Raven, _and_ Mikey on his doorstep.

“Wow,” Julian laughs, staring at each of them in turn, “ _All_ of you? I’m not sure we’ll all fit on the carpet at once.”

“Just trust us,” Raven says, holding up a garment bag, “Your outfit, good sir.”

Julian takes the bag, unzips it a little and whistles, “Wow. Van Kamp went all out, didn’t he?”

It’s a little non traditional — brocade of dark red, Clark’s favorite color on Julian, with silky jet-black lapels and shiny gold buttons. He _loves_ it.

“Go get dressed,” Corey says, “Mikey’s been assigned to make you pre-show snacks, because Clark said you always get nervous and forget to eat and he doesn’t want you passing out when you give your speech.”

“I’m not gonna _win_ ,” Julian protests, “I’m up against Jude Law and Michael Fassbender, I have _no_ delusions of coming home with a trophy tonight.”

“No trophy except your hot date, at least,” Sinclair says with a smirk.

“So it’s you, then? You’re the one Clark assigned to escort me down the red carpet.”

“How about you go get dressed and figure that part out later.”

They all shove him towards the stairs, and he rolls his eyes but heads to his room obligingly. The tuxedo fits like a dream, of course, and he stares at his reflection in the mirror. He debates slicking his hair back, the way his stylists always do. But he kind of likes the way it looks loose, slight curls falling across his forehead. Instead, he spritzes it with a small amount of hairspray, just to keep It in place.

When he makes his way back downstairs, the boys all whistle.

“Looking _good_ , Larson!”

“Please. I _always_ look good.”

Mikey grins and pushes a plate of food across the table, encouraging Julian to eat.

He’s a little less nervous with all of them there. They joke around, let him practice his acceptance speech (that he’s _not_ going to have to give, he insists again) and force snacks into his mouth. Raven pours him a shot of tequila — _“not_ from Clark, please don’t tell on me” — and he finally relaxes, at least until Corey checks his phone and declares it’s time to go.

“Your ride’s outside,” he says, “Along with your date.”

“Wait…” Julian frowns, glancing around the group, “It’s _not_ one of you?”

“Nope. Apparently we’re good enough for sushi dates and curry runs, but the Oscars deserves _better_.”

“Then who?” Julian asks, “Cameron? Isabel?”

“I’m offended that you think _Cameron Pike_ is better than any of us,” Sinclair says, “I mean, have you _seen_ Mikey?”

“Well who, then?”

“Guess you’ll just have to walk outside and see.”

Julian shoots them all a suspicious look and heads to his door. He’s not sure who to expect, can’t think of someone Clark trusts more than his band. He’s a little hesitant, honestly, stepping outside with just a tiny bit of trepidation.

“ _Oh my god_.”

Clark _himself_ stands on Julian’s doorstep, a soft smile on his face.

“Surprise?”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Julian repeats, throwing his arms around Clark’s shoulders. He feels himself lifted off the ground a little, the soft rumble in Clark’s chest as he laughs.

“Don’t get _too_ excited,” he says, “I do unfortunately have to fly back tomorrow morning. But I wasn’t gonna miss this.”

Julian pulls back to just _stare_ , drinking in the sight. Clark’s tux is black, the lapels the exact shade of red as Julian’s own suit. He’s _beautiful_ , if not a little tired-looking, and Julian’s half-tempted to skip the awards show altogether and drag Clark upstairs.

“Now _kiss him_ ,” he hears from somewhere behind him, and Clark rolls his eyes.

“Just had to ruin the moment, Cor.”

“ _Kiss_ ,” Sinclair chimes in, raising a fist in the air, “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.”

The others join in, and Julian laughs, turning back to Clark with an expectant look.

“Fly all this way just for these idiots to…. _ridiculous_ , I swear.”

Clark pulls Julian in by the waist, presses their lips together for their first kiss in what feels like _years._ The boys cheer behind them, but Julian’s brain doesn’t seem to want to focus on anything other than Clark, and his arms, and his _mouth_.

When they finally part, Clark smiles down at him, strokes his thumb across Julian’s cheek.

"I uh...I also came back because...I wanted to say it to your face."

Julian frowns, "Say what?"

"That I love you too," Clark says, eyes sparkling, "I should've said it on the phone. You just...surprised, me, I guess. I think I went into shock. Sorry it took me so long."

"No," Julian breathes, "This is better. Way better."

He leans up again, kisses Clark and ignores the renewed chorus of cheers behind them. Clark's arms tighten around his waist, and he laughs a little when they pull apart.

“Well, superstar? You ready to go?”

“Anywhere. As long as it’s with you.”


End file.
